Hand of Tiamat
"One hand would offer you all the riches of the world, all the while preparing to throttling you with the other." ''- Esendor, Paladin of Bahamut The Church of Tiamat, also known as the Cult or the Hand of Tiamat, is an organisation devoted to the worship of Tiamat. Its members are known as hands with its largest established church in the city of Okarthel. Name ''"Our enemy goes by many names." '' - from the ''Codex Irlym The different names for the Hand found throughout Tolas show what level of power the group has in any particular region. If the group is referred to as "The Hand", then the group is considered a legitimate and powerful organisation in that society, the best example of this is in Darazil where it is the largest unified religious practice in the region. If however, the people of a region or country call the worshipers of Tiamat the Church of Tiamat, it refers to the group being allowed to practice their faith but the local dominant religion of that area monitors their activity to ensure that they do not pose a threat. An example of this is in the Kingdom of Grostere, where the Church must register its members in order to practice in the areas where the Church of Pelor has clerics that deliver service to citizens of the country, which happens to be an area that covers the entire state. Use of the word "cult" is usually a sign that the worship of Tiamat is outlawed in a region, with its members being persecuted by the followers of Bahamut. Most regions will have some presence of dragon worship which usually gets absorbed into the Hand when a priest is sent to lead or supplant the leader of lone dragon cults. This groups ultimate aim is usually to be accepted as legitimate in a region whilst also working to bring about their own individual goals, which are usually quite selfish and focused on personal wealth. Organisation Cults There are many different cults devoted to Tiamat spread across Tolas, many are formed by those wishing to advance themselves socially and so create systems where they can be placed above their peers. Most cults are either disbanded or radicalised and absorbed into the larger network of cults, taken over by some of the larger personalities for their own ends. Church of the Dragon Queen Located in Okarthel, the Church of the Dragon Queen is seen as a mainstream worship of Tiamat and is almost exclusive to dragonfolk of Darazil. It promotes personal wealth and achievement, that gold is a sign of having the Queen's favour as well as loyalty to the powerful in society. The Rise of Tiamat For more on this, see here. In 15DE the Cult of the Dragon began to conduct raids across Etan, gathering gold and treasure for some dark purpose. One major attack took place during the month of Tiamat in Greenest in Eldswall. A year later, the cult began to use a device known as the draakhorn, its sound blowing across the world calling out to dragons, telling them that the rise of Tiamat was coming.Category:Organisations Category:Deity Category:Tiamat Category:Dragons Category:Dragonspawn